1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a guitar pick, and more specifically a guitar pick which is fitted over a guitar player's fingernail.
2. Prior Art
To play the guitar, especially the classical guitar, the player usually grows long fingernails on the thumb and three fingers of the picking hand. Unlike some guitar playing, a single pick will not suffice. However, long nails have certain drawbacks. For instance, long nails have a tendency to break or crack. The nails of some people grow in a hook-like shape, thereby making it impossible to play the guitar at fast speeds when using the techniques of arpeggio or the effect of tremollo. Furthermore, long nails cause considerable trouble in daily life. Therefore, there has been a demand for artificial nails to be used as guitar picks for classical guitar.
Artificial nails must be able to attach to and detach from each finger with ease. The artificial nail must not apply unnatural stress to the finger or nail and must not feel unnatural when being worn. The artificial nail should fit closely to the natural nail and should have a somewhat semicylindrical shape to serve as a natural extension of the natural nail. A plastic artificial nail has the necessary softness, strength and flexibility to absorb the clicking noise generated when the artificial nail contacts the string. After worn or deformed through use, the artifical nail should be easily replaceable.
Previous artificial nails have included thimbles on the finger. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,595, a thimble is useful for the hand used to depress the strings of the guitar. U.S. Pat. Nos. 401,476; 584,653; 842,920; 1,444,982; and 1,885,843 show different thimbles for the picking hand. Unfortunately, a thimble applies stress to the finger rather than the fingernail. As a result, the thimble is not suitable to play classical guitar that requires delicate motions with the fingers because the player does not have the necessary control.
Other methods include means of attaching an artificial nail to the upper or lower surface of the nail. U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,172 shows an artificial nail set over the upper surface of the natural nail. Unfortunately, because the artifical nail is offset from the extension line of the natural nail, the user perceives an unnatural feeling caused by the offset. If the material forming the artificial nail is metal, a clicking noise is generated. If the artificial nail is plastic, when the tip portion is worn the entire nail must be replaced, thereby requiring higher costs.
An artifical nail useful as a guitar pick has many requirements. Therefore, an ideal guitar pick that does not cause an unnatural feeling, is easily applied and removed, does not create a metallic clicking sound and gives the user the delicate control needed, has not been provided by previous artificial guitar picks.